The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-10-15
FOOL JIM.
That He Was Called, Although He
Was Wondrous Wise.

II we trust general opinion it was a
series Of fOllieS, beginning in bOyhood and
continuing during life. James Foliambe-
SPOOL JIM as the boys nicknamed him at
school-and the epithet chung to him-did,
in popular Judgment the most silly things,
aud yet prospered. At school he was noted
for his folly, as well as for pluck and cool
ness. If a big boy maltreated little one,
Instead of minding his own business, as a
sensible boy should, Fool Jim would take it
up aud thrash the bully.
When that wretched little Dick Greene
the son of old Corney Greene, a sort of odd
Job man about town, broke his leg by fall
from cherry tree, Fool Jim used to go
around and cheer up The little brat, and
spend his pocket money, of which he had
plenty, for Dicks benefit. All the leading
big boys of the school thought him a fool,
but no one dared 10 tell him so, for though
he was not quarrelsome he was quick to
resent an insult and was a tough customer
in Il rough-and-tumDle fight.
Fojambe left school for an academy
where they prepared boys for college. and
went afterward to college. l left at the
same time to become under-salesmau and
general drudge in the grocery shop of Figgs
II OalchIeze | lost sight of him then eX-
-1ept at vacations until he was graduated
and had come home. His father, con-
firmed invalid, was very rich, and made
great fuss over him when he returned and
was very proud of the fact that Jim was at
the head Of his class. There was no non.
sense about jim, l must say. He remem-
berrd all his old schOolmatcs and pat on no
airs. He would come into our shop at all
times and talk with me when | was not
uusy, and, as he would be very rich in time,
old Eggs, though he did keep his peoples
moses close to the grindstone, never grum-
Oiled at it.
Not that Jim was an idler. He took a
vast deal off his sickly fathers hands in
managing the large plantation. No little
Job that was, either Foljambe place en-
braced over nineteen hundred acres, and
with the exception of hundred acres of
woodland, and about three hundred of
pasture and meadow, was closely cult
waited. There was fine herd of Jersey
cattle, then coming into vogue, and over
forty booded horses, besides others for
A,low aud wagon.
For four years there was nothing worthy
OF uote, except that got to be head sales
nian and sort of general manager in our
t.1ucern, which, considering my age, was a
big lift Tor me. But old Fojambe died at
Shs time, and as James was motherless,
and an only son, he succeeded to the
property. Then began the folles of this
son, which made talk for the country
around for years.
The first exhibition was in the matter of
the Peabody mortgage There had been
Two Peabody brothers, Nathan and David 4;
but David, the Younger one, on his fathers
G!ca'h had taken one Thousand dollars in
cash for his share, and gone off to Mexico
DO seek his fortune. He was not heard of
arrerward, and was believed to be dead
Nathan stayed on the old place. He was
ssmftless man, and though he married Ben
MERITS daughter, who was a tidy house
wife aud a prudent woman, he could not
get along The farm was pretty well worn
out and he did not improve it at all.
The crops grew less and less, and Nathan
grow crop of debt. To wipe that out he
borrowed another thousand dollars on bond
aud mortgage from the same party who
hcld the first mortgage given to raise
David's money. Things grew worse and
worse, and at last the interest remained
unpaid for two years, and proceedings were
taSen to foreclose the mortgage. Nathan
took sick over it and died The doctor said
III was typhoid fever, but every one thought
a. was the trouble, and that Nathan had
GiveE up the ghost because lie could not
face his difficulties At all events he died,
&eaving his widow with one child, girl of
fourteen She was very pretty-the image
of her father-and all the Peabodys were
fine looking people; but she had her moth
.er's ways.
Everybody pitied the widow, for it was
we'll understood that the farm would bring
no more than the debt and law expenses in
fact, that the mortgage would be obliged
10 buy it in. With the exception of one
sspol, the farm was a worn-out sandy loan,
over-run with sedge-grass, the sign of ster-
Atty. The exception was hill, covering
about forty-two acres, apparently composed
of tough, gravelly clay, unfit for even
brick making, and incapable of cultivation.
To be sure, the five acres around the house,
which was at one end of the place, had been
used as vegetable garden, and that was
an a little better order. 1t was sorry piece
of property. So when sale day came, and
happened to be over at the county town, /
cropped iuto the courthouse where the
-sherih was to sell. / found only a half
dozen persons aEl one OF these was Fol-